Baguette croutons with Ottoman spices..exotically Turkish!

I am back from a fantastic trip of a lifetime in Turkey and somehow the holidays which ended only few days back seemed like an eternity ago! The marvels of Constantinople history and the beautiful coastal view of Turkish Reviera from the little town of Belek, Antalya really rejuvenated me and brought a lot of fond memories and nostalgia from my trip there 9 years ago. So many things have changed, yet certain things remained the same. The old Grand Bazaar was still buzzing with passers-by from all walk of life, haggling the precious stones, brass and beautiful antic carpets in between sips of Suleimaniye apple tea. The rose oil, musks and aroma from Spice Bazaar enticed me in to taste and savour, from the dried figs and candied lemons to the exquisite Turkish delight and oh-so syrupy bakhlavas..enough to clog the arteries for lifetime!

Turkish food is certainly to die for, and I came back with a lot of recipe ideas that stemmed from a week long of indulgence-feta cheese, cumin roasted cherry tomatoes, kofte and salads, freshly baked baguette and trays of cardamom infused cookies and cakes..but the best of all was Lavash, the turkish fluffy, puffy bread. Glazed with butter with some sesame seed love, totally divine! I hope one of these days I could sneak some few hours in between my calls and family time to compile a little recipe booklet laden with scenic photographs to share with all of you:-).

On the last day in Istanbul, I bought some baguettes for a quick bite but alas, didn’t have time to eat them as we were travelling. Inspired by the food that we had and armed with the exotic Ottoman spices that I bought from the bazaar, I thought it would only be fitting to use up the baguette into something useful.

Croutons.

Flavourful croutons, drizzled with olive oil and generously sprinkled with Ottoman spices. Yes, there is a mix called Ottoman spices, the aromatic mixed herbs full of saffron, red chilli flakes, thyme and marjoram. Exotic blend that I would love to use again and again as seasoning, roasted chicken next time, maybe? I was so glad I made those croutons, well stocked soup garnishing on rainy days or even a savoury snack on its own. At least I could recreate some nostalgic aroma of Istanbul in my little kitchen, albeit in the form of croutons.

Baguette croutons with Ottoman spices..exotically Turkish!

2 medium sized baguettes or 1 long baguette(preferably 1 day old)

3 cloves garlic-minced finely

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp Ottoman spice mix

1 tsp Kosher salt (or coarse sea salt)

For Ottoman spice mix (you can make this at home!)

1/2 tsp saffron strands

1 tbsp sumac ( you can get this at any Arabic/Middle eastern store)

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp chilli flakes

1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground mint

1 t bsp ground fennel

1 tbsp dried marjoram

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp dried ginger

1 tbsp ground cumin

Combine all spice ingredients in a grinder and grind to fine powder. Store in airtight container as this recipe yields more than enough for this recipe. This can be stored up to 2 weeks, ideally.

Method for Croutons

1. Cut the baguette into 1 inch cubes.

2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the ottoman spice mix and remove from the heat.

Hi from Jehanne

This is my little space that chronicles heart-healthy foods from all over the world, decadent desserts that I bake for friends and family, tips and ideas for home cooks and some photography snippets that I learnt along the way. Enjoy and stay in touch!